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THE EXPERIENCES 



I Company "L" 368th Infantry ;; 



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:^ UNIT 




OF X 



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BLACK BUFFALO DIVISION 

TOLD IN VERSE 

Typical of a Soldier's Life in France 

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PRIGC 25 GBINTS 



BY SGT CHESTER J. WESTFIELD 



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Copyright, 1919 

CHESTER J. WESTFIELD 



PREFACE 



This poem is based on facts gathered by the 
writer, who was a sergeant in Company "L" 
368th Infantry. It was written to give some of 
the life and spirit of the individual soldier; 
in narrating the events of the Argonne drive; 
the pronoun "we" refers to the regiment as a 
unit, and of course the supporting artillery is 
taken in consideration. 

The writer wishes to express his appreciation 
of the kindness of his friends in giving sugges- 
tions and helping correct the manuscript. 

Chester J. Westfield 



MAV 16 1919 



The Voyage to France 



The news came, "You'll go over," 

But we did not tliink it true 
Till mechanics marked our boxes 

With letters white and blue. 

Then we were certain of going 

Over there to tight; 
For they moved us from Camp Meade 

One cloudy Wednesday ni^h^^. 

The boys began to say aloud : 

"Our Uncle Sam ain't jokin'." 
For we all went thru New Jersey, 

Pennsylvania, to Hoboken. 

They soon began to realize 

Their going far from home. 
Aboard the ship George Washington, 

As she plowed the rippling foam. 

After a voj^age of thirteen days 
Over the broad and watery main. 

We entered the Bay of Biscay, 
x\long the northern coast of Spain. 

We had gone more than five thousand miles, 
Sailing out from the peaceful West, 

When we sighted land one evening 
And anchored in tlve port of Brest. 

TO THE THE TRAINING AREA. 

We disembarked from owr trusty ship. 

Then two or three miles went, 
And slept on the ground in sight of 

The Pontanezen cantonment. 



There were no cusliions for our heads, 
No Avarmth indeed for our feet, 

But scant the water to quench our thirsty 
And scarce enough to eat. 

After a stay of a week or more, 

A-living 'mid dew and rain, 
We next marched to the station 

At Brest to board a train. 

Tlie weary soldiers were seated, 
Witli their packs near to their feet; 

A three days' ration was issued 
For the hungry men to eat. 

Tiiese rations consisted of bread and jam, 
Many cans of jiork and beans. 

This fare we enjoyed until we passed 
Thru the towns of Tours and Orleans, 

For full three days we rode southeast, 
And no sign of barracks found, 

But at Passavant we were glad to put 
Our feet once more on the ground. 

From Passavant over hills and valleys 

We ma relied on with a will; 
Our packs cut our shoulders severely 

Ere we stopi)ed at Figneville. 

It was there two white lieutenants came^ 
And several weeks they stayed. 

Tliey taught us to play "Old Grady" 
And to use the hand grenade. 

An order came for us to move 

Across the river Saone; 
We pitched our tents in a field near by 

The village called Lathone. 



At Latlioiie the drilling was hard 

And burdensome to onr backs, 
For onr exercises were <lone 

With rifles and fnll juicks. 

ON THE VOSGES FRONT. 

In trucks from there we moved 

About seventy miles away ; 
And at eve we billeted in honses and barns. 

In the village, Le Holier. 

Soon an order came that read : 

"On to the front, you'll till a gap." 

And at night we were hauled from there 
To the city of Kaon TEtape. 

On the journey many weie frightened 
And murmured a hurried prayer. 

For the Grerman airmen were trying 
To bomb us fiom the air. 

The thought then came to the men 

Of filling a dangerous front-line trench, 

For the automatic gunners were sent 
To the front along wilh the French. 

But the French and American soldiers 

Could not each understand, 
So the other part of the units 

Went forward, not leaving a man. 

All thru the day 'twas quiet. 

And we did not have to fight. 
But the Hung; threw bombs on our trenches 

About nine o'clock eacli night. 

At nig'ht we patrolled No Man's Land 

Thru acres of ctose-laid wire; 
In danger of discovery by lighted flai^es, 

And of death by machine gun fire. 

3 



After a stay of several days 

F'roin tlie front we were turned aloose 
And carried back for recreation 

To the station of La Juas. 

We I'emained there some days more, 
A-drilling 'mid cold and rain, 

Ere onr comi)any was called together 
To ^o to the front again. 

We moved that day to a mountain, 

Which little shelter gave, 
But we made the best of it by using 

A ]>ro1ecting rock or cave. 

The cai)tain said: ^'My boys, 

Your days up here'U be few, 
For we go on tmicks to-morrow 

To entrain at Corcieux." 

THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE. 

We Ihought of the front-line trench. 

But all of us kept cool 
Till we detrained along the Marne, 

Near the city of St. Manould. 

We were put ofi' the road in a forest, 
Hun airmen our troops could not see; 

And happy, blithe, and hilarious. 
We knocked apples off a tree. 

From the forest early next morning, 
OVr roug^i roads we hiked on still, 

Till we leached some French artilleiy 
Hid behind a rocky hill. 

An order came io us that night 

Which tried each brave man's nerve: 

"Your regiment will go up to-morrow 
Witli Tompauy L in reserve." 



AVe passed VieDiie le Chateau, 
And good eiitrenchmeiits found 

Oh a high and rugged lull 
Al)ove a shell-toru town. 

On the hill we were detei-niined, ' 

And this was the otticer's plan: 
To hold that hill from the Germans 

At the price of death to each man. 

On our advance the watchful airplanes 
Soaied o'er us with many a bombing tiler. 

On the ground were wire entanglements 
And heavy machine gun tire. 

At last, sometime that night. 
We took over a front-line trench. 

On our light were white Americann, 
And on our left the suave French. 

T looked ai'ound next nmniing 
When machine gun shots 1 heard, 

And saw^ they had wounded severely 
My comrade, Corporal Baird. 

We pushed them back over tangled wire, 

Thru valley and over hill, 
And ended our part of the Argonne drive 

At the village of Binarville. 

After many Huns we'd captured. 
Wounded, or gassed and slain. 

We bombarded their bridges which offered 
retreat 
Across the River Aisne. 

Many brave deeds we»e done there 

By men who never knew fear. 
Till the French and Italians relieved us. 

Then triumphant Ave marched to the rear. 



THE SOLDIERS GO BACK FOR RECREATION, 

The inarch from there was very severe, 

But each man did his ibest, 
For, being exposed to artillery fire. 

We con Id not stop to rest. 

Hnngry and tliirsty, we could not enjoy 
The beaut if^il mountain scenes, 

But Sergeant Brown helped save my life 
With an extra can of beans. 

W^e marched some days to a station. 
And a crowded train did catch; 

Following the Moselle River, 

We detrained near the town of Marbach. 

Our officers tried to get barracks, 

. Doing the best they could; 
They found none, and the soldiers slept 
Ex}>08ed to rain, in the wood. 

There were few new supplies of food, 
Still fewer of the old were left; 

Rations were gotten here and there, 
]^]ach warrior cooked for himself. 

After living there for several days 
We packed up and hiked away. 

And made onr home on the River Moselle^ 
In a town b}' the name of Pompey. 

Though Pompey was an excellent town, 
'Twas not to all our boys fancy; 

Many slipped off in the gloom of night 
To visit the city of Nancy. 

Now, most of the boys th^jught Nancy 
Was the best little town in the world, 

For here their lives were brightened by wine 
Or a lively chat with a girl. 



After a period of seventeen days, 
Our tramping was kept up still ; 

By wading thru much mud and water 
We reached the village Franchville. 

But Franchville was dull and solemn, 
And our boys cared not to stay, 

So the officers showed their sympathy 
By marching us back to Pompey. 

BEFORE METZ. 

After waiting in Pompey for orders 

For about five days or more, 
Then a march was made to a dugout 

Near the village of Gezoncourt. 

Our superior officer said: "My boys. 

You're not thru fighting yet." 
And on the tenth of November we went 

To fight at bloody Metz. 

For each hour of fighting we thought 
We'd lose a thousand or more. 

For the number of hours we meant to attack 
Was three times twenty-four. 

After passing thru many dangers 

In combating our subtile foes, 
The message came at seven o'clock 

That the war would probably close. 

At eleven the big guns ceased roaring; 

The machine guns quit raising Cain; 
The Boche stopped firing along the line; 

Ood smiled on the earth again! 

We were glad wheM the message came 
That America would fight no more, 

And victorious we rolled our packs 
And marched for Gezoncourt. 



PERIOD OF WAITING. 

We endured water and mud for a mouth. 

Then began our movement home. 
And slung our jmck.s and marched formile?^ 

To eatc'li a train at Maron. 

The bovs were hungry and tired, 
And their packs were heavy as lead, 

And some of our comrades who were gassed 
at tlie front. 
On the hike, fell unconscious or dead. 

Our superiors said: ''Don't worry, boys, 
We'll go borne as soon as we can." 

But, lousy ami dirty, were comj>elled to stay 
Several w(^ks longer in St. Julien. 

Each man had a vision of sweetheart or wife 
And no doubt of his parental house; 

When at last we journeyed westward 
To Le Mans in order to delouse. 

We longed for our homes in America, 

In the far-ort' golden West, 
When we were moved 'side tlie foaming sea 

To the forwai'ding camp at Brest. 

We had helped to conquer the Iron Man, 
W1io for glory and 'power did crave. 

And were ready to sail for home again. 
To the land of the true and the brave! 



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